By Moiya Sullivan | May 13, 2026
In a small but significant corner of the scientific world, a quiet revolution is unfolding. It does not involve sprawling particle colliders or billion-dollar space telescopes. Instead, it takes place in laboratories where researchers are learning to rewrite the code of life itself.
This Wednesday, that conversation comes to Latin America.
Voices of Science, a podcast produced by Univalle Online in collaboration with the Journal of Latin American Sciences and Culture and the Andean Road Countries for Science and Technology (ARCST), will host Mr. Rodrigo Salvador Ventura Cruz, a Salvadoran biotechnologist and synthetic biologist whose work sits at the intersection of engineering and ecology.
The topic: synthetic biology and climate change.
A Scientist on the Rise
Mr. Ventura Cruz is no ordinary guest. He was a key member of the iGEM 2024 and 2025 teams in a competitive synthetic biology initiative that drew some of the brightest young minds from across the globe. He is also an active member of Andean Road Countries for Science and Technology (ARCST) and Synbio LATAM, networks that seek to position Latin America within the rapidly advancing field of biological design.
His expertise lies in harnessing the tools of synthetic biology, gene editing, metabolic engineering, and the construction of novel biological systems to address environmental challenges. From carbon capture to biodegradable materials, the possibilities are vast. But so are the scientific and ethical questions.
A Region at the Edge of Innovation
Latin America is home to some of the planet’s most biodiverse ecosystems, from the Amazon rainforest to the Andean highlands. It is also one of the regions most vulnerable to climate change. For scientists like Mr. Ventura Cruz, that proximity to both risk and natural capital is not a contradiction, it is a call to action.
In conversation with host Lic. Yelka Aguilera, he will explore how synthetic biology might offer practical tools for climate adaptation and mitigation. Can engineered microorganisms help restore degraded soils? Can synthetic pathways reduce industrial emissions? These are the questions that the episode will examine.
How to Tune In
The episode will be broadcast live on Wednesday, May 13, at 08:00 a.m. Bolivia time (12:00 UTC), across Univalle Online’s digital platforms.
For a region often underrepresented in global conversations about emerging science, the moment matters. Voices of Science continues promoting the science culture construction, to build a bridge, not just between countries, but between the laboratory and the lived reality of a warming world.
Listeners can access the live stream via Univalle Online’s official channels.
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